Factors Influencing Academic Self-Concept of High-Ability Girls in Singapore

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the impact of entering high-ability classes on the academic self-concept of high-ability primary girls in Singapore. Participants in this study are 91 Primary 4 girls, 30 high-ability pupils, and 61 pupils from classes that include high-, middle-, and low-ability pupils. This study utilized a mixed-method approach. The quantitative part of the study used the Academic Self-Concept Questionnaire (ASCQ) to measure the pupils’ academic self-concept before and after they were streamed into high-ability classes. Findings indicate that the high-ability learners had a statistically lower academic self-concept score after streaming, whereas no significant difference could be found between the academic self- concept scores for the pupils from the mixed-ability classes before and after streaming had taken place. Narrative interviews revealed that high-ability students experienced greater pressure because of heightened competition in class. Implications of the study for educators are discussed.

Keywords:

• academic self-concept
• Confucian heritage culture
• gifted
• grouping
• high-ability girls
• Singapore

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melissa Mui Mei Yeo

Melissa Mui Mei Yeo is a teacher in a primary school in Singapore. She completed her MEd with a specialization in gifted education at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, in Singapore in 2013. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Education at the National Institute of Education. E-mail: [email protected]

Rhoda Myra Garces-Bacsal

Rhoda Myra Garces-Bacsal is an assistant professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She is a teacher educator and coordinator of the Masters and Bachelor’s Program in High Ability Studies and Gifted Education. Aside from doing teaching supervision in local schools in Singapore, she also does clinical supervision among graduate students in counseling psychology. E-mail: [email protected]